New York High Line Serves $24 Lobster Rolls: Ryan Sutton

The folks behind the ambitious concessions at Manhattan’s
High Line park would disagree. A cold glass of 1990 German
riesling on a hot summer afternoon settles the argument.

Picnics on the High Line tend to be upscale affairs, though
without the upscale cost. Table service, American Express and
lobster are frequently involved.

It’s a fine setting for casual dining. Much of it takes
place on either side of the Chelsea Market Passage, a shady
little patch of the park between 15th and 16th streets. It’s
bordered by gardens, some strange art (including a giant
billboard with super-size fingers wriggling at you), along with
tables, chairs and benches.

What follows is a tip sheet on the highlights of a few
recent visits.

Terroir: Marco Canora and Paul Grieco run four of these
wine bars around Manhattan. A full-service pop-up with a bird’s
nest view of Colicchio & Sons, this is the only one quiet enough
to enjoy the fare.

Take a seat and order one of 20 rieslings ($8.25-$16.50).
You’re not going to drink a big red in this heat are you? The
vino is served in semi-classy thin-lipped plastic stems, a
caution against theft and wind.

Veal meatballs ($12) are too heavy for the season. Stick
with the farro, the firm grains zinged with vinegar and mint.
Look out over the Hudson and luxuriate in that gentle breeze.

Blue Bottle: Coffee snobbery is out of control these days.
When I ordered a cup of Intelligentsia’s joe at the Frieze Art
Fair, the staffers denied me sugar. I had to fight the urge to
violence.

The Blue Bottle people are nicer to javaphiles with a sweet
tooth. The Oakland-based roaster is famous for individually
drip-brewing each cup ($2.90-$5.50), which is another way of
saying you will wait a bit -- not a problem for mud this good.
The right call is New Orleans iced-coffee ($4), served with a
splash of milk.

Can I get some sugar with this? “Sure, there’s some simple
syrup right here,” the barista says.

The Standard Plaza: Seamus Mullen is the “chef in
residence” at this seasonal outdoor restaurant, located beneath
the High Line in The Standard hotel’s north plaza. While Mullen
doesn’t give us the same pristine precision as he does at
Tertulia, which I named New York’s best new restaurant of 2011,
he comes close enough with this little gem of a pop-up.

Unhappy with the austere simplicity of cheap tomato bread,
Mullen throws a little Iberico jamon on top and charges $17. The
result is outstanding -- the ham’s nuttiness comes across as the
tomato’s acid cuts through the fat. Skip the ho-hum smoked
burrata with watermelon.

Try the lamb “ham steak,” a superbly musky cut that
ranges from fatty to tough to tender ($21). It rocks. Chip in
$20 for a pitcher’s worth of gin, sherry, lime, ginger beer,
cucumber and rosemary -- a Spanish riff on Pimm’s Cup. It’s
cheap, watery and plenty for three to raise a buzz.

Taco Truck: There are plenty of great taco trucks in
Manhattan. This isn’t one of them.

L’Arte del Gelato. Fans of this West Village denizen exult
over the imported fruits, nuts, beans and chocolate used in
their luscious cups ($5 and $6). I couldn’t disagree; the tastes
-- hazelnut, Valhrona chocolate, coffee, peach -- are
unmistakably the real thing. And the servers are willing to mix
flavors for you. Even on a single.

Bark: Also skippable, despite the dog pedigree. At a
Yankees game, you wait in line, pay, and get your Hebrew
National frank. It’s a simple economic transaction. That’s not
the case at the cruelly-named Bark, where you queue up, order,
and then get a flashing beeper instead of your food.

We waited 10 minutes before the pager went off. Then we
waited in line again to claim our frankfurter ($4) and bratwurst
($7). For all that, the sausages tasted like any other.

Northern Spy: This Alphabet City restaurant, which
specializes in locavore cuisine (the name comes from a prized
New York State apple), grills local cheddar on your choice of
bakery breads ($7). Try the deep-ridged, barely-buttery sandwich
with a vibrant kale salad ($9) tricked out with carrots,
almonds, cheddar and pecorino cheeses.